Steady flow of freight but ‘teething issues’ continue at border 

“Teething issues” continued with processing imports at the land frontier under new treaty customs arrangements continued on Tuesday, with volumes still below pre-treaty levels. 

Freight shipments are flowing into Gibraltar but at a slower rate than under the system in place prior to the treaty, with some shipments for large companies experiencing hefty delays. 

At around 6pm on Tuesday, some 170 lorries had crossed the frontier, when on average around 250 vehicles could be processed daily in the past. 

The Collector of Customs, John Payas, the commercial gate would be open until 10pm on Tuesday to assist any lorries and said supplies were coming into Gibraltar. 

He said part of the challenge included consignments that included multiple items, a practice known as groupage in the industry jargon.  

That increased the workload to process the shipment as the different items need to be “cleared one by one”. 

Mr Payas added that the issue has been compounded by the La Linea fair, which had created logistical challenges for lorries awaiting clearance.  

The fair ended on Sunday and will be leaving soon, freeing up space near the frontier post for trucks to wait their turn. 

“We will start to see it settle this this weekend and next week will be closer to normality,” he said. 

Mr Payas said Customs was exploring IT solutions so that paperwork can be filled in online beforehand, hopefully speeding up processes and alleviating the wait time. 

Customs has also provided support with officers on hand and with training agents, as well as providing a test platform. 

Mr Payas added that there has been “co-operation and good will” on both sides of the frontier to find solutions to the issues. 

Even so, the delays are causing frustration for companies and freight forwarders on both sides of the border. 

Early on Tuesday, Morrisons Gibraltar posted a statement on social media informing customers that they expected seven lorries to cross the border.  

“We are now on the second phase of working around our new delivery schedules post treaty,” Morrisons said. 

“We want to thank you for your continued support and understanding whilst we navigate these new ways of working.” 

“You may have noticed that we have been missing some of your day-to-day grocery items [including] nappies, tinned goods, dried foods etc over the last week.” 

“We are very pleased to let you know that we expect to receive these types of products today [meaning Tuesday], seven lorry loads filled with all your day-to-day shopping requirements.” 

By late Tuesday though, the company provided another update and the news was not what it had hoped for. 

The seven trucks had been delayed at the border again and were now expected on Wednesday. 

“We appreciate it is frustrating waiting on stock but be assured what we need is on these deliveries and we will get it on shelf as soon as they arrive,” Morrisons said on its social media. 

The frustration was also evident on the Spanish side, where one freight forwarder said the problems lay in the processing of the documentation and resolving discrepancies between the two sides under the new arrangements, 

In another development, Spain’s customs agency, the Agencia Tributaria, published a list of FAQs relating to freights shipments to and from Gibraltar. 

The information can be accssed here: https://sede.agenciatributaria.gob.es/Sede/aduanas/acuerdo-gibraltar/detalles-acuerdo/movimiento-mercancias-periodo-transitorio/otras-faq-sobre-acuerdo-gibraltar.html?faqId=2b641ad7957af910VgnVCM100000dc381e0aRCRD